Its Not All Black and White, But It Is

I recently read an article written by a woman named Emily Snook. She claims to be solidly and actively pro-life, and a committed Evangelical Christian. However, after very careful consideration, she claims to have voted for Kamala Harris (well, she voted for Joe Biden, but her reason for doing it was because Harris was on the ticket). She titled her article: The Complicated Feelings of Being Both Pro-life & Pro-Kamala as VP (You can read the article yourself at: https://sbcvoices.com/the-complicated-feelings-of-being-both-pro-life-pro-kamala-as-vp-emily-snook).

When I first saw the headline of this article, I was very curious: Why would someone who is strongly pro-life and an avowed Evangelical Christian vote for someone who is militantly pro-abortion, and who does not think at all highly of Christians? I did not have to get very far into the article to find the answer.

In a nutshell, her reason for voting for the Biden/Harris ticket was because she believed that by putting a woman in the White House, it would open doors for other women to attain high office in the future. She stated very directly that she believed that there were no good choices on the ballot for President, and that, ultimately, it would not matter which person she voted for. So, she made the choice that she felt would ultimately best promote her values. Her approach to voting was that she wanted to think long term rather than short term. That is, even if someone bad was elected this time, it could create a situation where there was a woman in the White House, and it would open doors for women in the future. In her mind, that would outweigh the bad things the president might do in the present.

Now certainly it is true that everyone who might have been elected had some flaws. After all, no one is perfect, and no one will promote every policy that any given individual might support. But ultimately, the question is not, “Who has flaws?” Rather, the important question for Christians that must be answered is, “Who will promote the kinds of policies that will create an environment that allows liberty of conscience, and that will correspond most closely to the values expressed in the Bible?”

When Ms. Snook made her choice, that was not the question she asked. Her highest priority was not to support a person who would help create an environment that promoted life and liberty, but to get a woman in the White House. Her highest priority was a social agenda, not a spiritual one. She choose her path based on social rather than on spiritual criteria. She wanted a woman in office regardless of how it affected the policies concerning life, economy, rule of law, and EVERYTHING else. 

To be sure, there definitely were no perfect choices in this past presidential election. But the choices that did exist laid out very clear, and different, path’s forward. One choice would promote an environment that allowed more freedom for Christians to actively engage society. The other choice would promote the opposite. Ms. Snook chose a path that will ultimately inhibit the free exercise of religious practice in America.

There is a spiritual illness that is beginning to infect American Christianity – social justice theology. In an attempt to be faithful in showing Christian concern to those who are down and out, the social justice warriors have perverted the faith. Christians have, over the centuries, been at the forefront of helping those in need. However, the desire to help was always an expression of their faith, not the object of it. The social justice crowd has flipped the script and made Christian concern for the needy to be the object of their faith. In doing that, the biblical concept of salvation by faith through grace has been turned on its head. Salvation has been turned into something to be achieved by works.

What Ms. Snook has done is to hybridize her faith by putting a temporal social outcome ahead of the spiritual teachings of the Bible, while at the same time trying to hold on to traditional Christian faith. It can’t be done. When the faith is hybridized, it is debased and turned into something that is no longer the Christian faith.

This problem of hybridization is happening everywhere. We are seeing it not only with Ms. Snook’s women’s rights agenda, but also as it relates to race, immigration, sexuality, economics, and a whole host of other areas. And it is a problem! This perverted theology used to be mostly confined to Christian denominations that were considered theologically liberal. Now we see it emerging more and more among those who self-identify as Evangelical Christians.

Of course, we must keep in mind that God is still God. He can take the worst for all situations and redeem it to accomplish his greater purpose. And I have every confidence that he will do that in this case, as well. I believe that this will promote a spiritual cleansing in the church to help us get our priorities back where they ought to be. That said, there will be a huge price to pay as Christians are forced to endure the various kinds of persecution that will inevitably emerge.

In the end, Christians must determine to be faithful to the truth. The counter to false beliefs is true beliefs. But to truly make an impact for Christ in our increasingly hostile environment, Christians must commit themselves to thinking about and acting on the truth in ways that were nearly inconceivable even a short time back. It is only by making this commitment and following through with it, that the Christian church will thrive into the future.

Freddy Davis is the president of MarketFaith Ministries. He is the author of numerous books and has a background as an international missionary, pastor, radio host, worldview trainer, and entrepreneur. Freddy is a graduate of Florida State University with a BS in Communication, and holds MDiv and DMin degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is a popular speaker, particularly on the topic of worldview and its practical implications for the Christian life. He lives in Tallahassee, FL, with his wife Deborah.

You may also contact Freddy at Leadership Speakers Bureau to schedule him for speaking or leadership engagements.

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